Mt. Lebanon pool renovations made public

Mt. Lebanon residents wanting to see improvements to the Mt. Lebanon pool may soon see their wishes granted.

At the March 25 Mt. Lebanon Commission discussion session, Mark Edelmann of EPM Architecture and Wayne Wade of Wade Associates presented to commissioners and to the public their plans to renovate the pool at the close of the 2013 season.

According to Mt. Lebanon Recreation Director David Donnellan, plans to renovate the 36-year-old facility have been in the works since 2008.

“Everything is preliminary,” Donnellan said of the current project, which is posted on the Mt. Lebanon website. “Nothing is set in stone.”

Wade said renovations to the pool became clearer after a study took place with residents who voiced what they would like to see done to the facility.

“They told us to give them something to do, make it accessible for them and to give them warm water,” Wade said. “Thirty six years ago, this was a unique pool. Today, it’s not what everybody looks for.”

Plans to renovate the facility include separating vehicle access from pedestrian access, expanding the concrete walkway and deck area surrounding the pool, building an overlook for the pool’s surrounding recreational fields, making the bathhouse more accessible for people with disabilities, upgrading the plumbing and filtering systems, adding canopies and retractable umbrellas for shade, installing a climbing wall and a spray pool and building a water slide. The pool will also become a gradual depth pool, where guests can walk into zero feet of water and see the water gradually rise as they walk into the pool. Lanes for competitive swimming will remain in place.

Edelmann also pointed out the entrance to the pool will be turned into an atrium with skylights and will have a new walkway that doesn’t force guests to pass through the changing areas.

“It’s not an exciting or inviting entry,” Edelmann said. “It’s important to have a controlled point of entry to improve the admission process.”

But the renovations are not just for the enjoyment of pool guests. Employees of the pool will also see improvements to their work spaces. Edelmann and Wade plan to add a first aid room for life guards, a separate office for the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club, a new mechanical office, new equipment in the filtration room and two new rooms for storage.

Edelmann said the project is within the $3.3 million budget, and construction is expected to start the day the pool closes in 2013 and will be completed by opening day in 2014.

“This will attracting more usage and more funds,” resident Bill Lewis said. “This is a long time coming.”